Mask of Broken Things
by Catsaremeow
Summary: A storm is coming, and Scarecrow needs to take out a major player. Except, he isn't going for Bruce. He's going for the greater threat. Jason. Or, Jason doesn't expect anything to happen while he is on patrol, and the Joker kidnaps him just to be inconvenient.
1. Chapter 1

Jason's favorite part of patrolling was the motorcycle riding. Whipping through the streets, speed limits fucked, just the wind and the bike rumbling underneath him. That's what he was doing on one of the many cloudy nights of Gotham. The roar of the engine filled Jason with satisfaction as he skidded through crime alley. Criminals beware.

Just as Jason turned around another corner, his night at its peak, a beeping on his comm disrupted the feeling. Reluctantly slowing down and pulling over to a curb, Jason tapped twice on his comm to answer the call.

"What." He said sharply. Checking the time, Jason realized it was only 11:30, much too early for really anyone to find a lead on the case they were working on. Or rather, everyone else was working on.

"Check in. Have you found him." Bruce's batman voice was even harder to understand over comms and Jason rolled his eyes. He took off his helmet to hear the man better and mentally questioned his life choices that led him to chasing a deranged maniac in a dark city with a gang of guys in spandex.

"No I haven't. And I don't need to check in, I'll be-" whatever Jason was about to say got cut short. He dropped his helmet in his hands and twisted on his bike to see three goons, two holding guns and one holding a rather large bat. Reaching up Jason winced as his hand came into contact with the tender spot. "Did you just hit me?" The Red Hood asked. The thugs looked at each other with smirks before the one with the bat nodded. He had a smug grin on his face.

"What's going on?" Bruce asked, the comm link still open and Jason got off his bike, hands pulling out a serrated knife. The blade glittered in the street light.

"These scumbags had the audacity to hit me in the head with a fucking baseball bat." Jason said, his lips curling into a snarl. The goons started to look less sure of themselves. "And now they're going to die." Bruce said something over the comm, probably a reminder not to kill, but Jason wasn't really listening. He brandished his knife and leapt for the closest guy, the one with the bat, and stabbed him in the collarbone. Blood splattered onto Jason's face and he whipped around, tearing the knife out and lodging it into the lower chest of the second closest man. The third, the farthest away, made a noise of dread and raised his gun.

"Jason stop!" Bruce yelled over the comm and the hooded vigilante paused, the shock of Batman using his real name giving the goon the perfect shot.

Several blocks away, Bruce heard the gun go off. Damian looked at his father who suddenly grew stone faced, his mouth down turning into a grim look darker than his regular batman façade. The young boy himself felt himself involuntarily tense at the sound.

Jason didn't move, his torso cold. The goon had trembling hands, looking from his gun to the wound blossoming blood through the Red Hood's kevlar suit. Jason followed his enemy's gaze and gazed, disconnected, at the red starting to leak from his lower torso. "Fuck." Was all Jason said before the thug recovered from his shock and his grin returned.

"I did it," he said to seemingly no one. Jason stumbled. His reaction was delayed but the coming vertigo hit instantly. Vision swimming, Jason buckled to one knee and he put a hand to his stomach, looking from the blood up to the goon. "You Red Hood," the goon started to approach, satisfaction radiating off him in waves. "Are coming with me."

Jason didn't understand, it seemed to be a normal kevlar piercing bullet, so why was he feeling… as if to prove his point, a flash of nausea made him fall to both knees and fly a hand out to steady himself against the concrete. Hands shoved him down and now spots appeared, flaring in his eyes and making his vision go white in places. The two hands tugged at Jason's hands, pulling the uncomfortably behind his back and the familiar sensation of rope rubbing his skin registered in his mind.

Bruce was only a block away when he heard the familiar squeal of tires. He tried to move faster, now getting ahead of Damian but by the time he dropped down onto the bloody pavement, there was no sign of Jason. The only remainder of him at all was two dead bodies and a silver serrated knife. Bruce didn't doubt that the blood on the tip would match the blood type of the two goons lying on the sidewalk. He called for the batmobile as Damian dropped down beside him. Robin recognized Bruce's look immediately.

"Nightwing, Hood's been taken." Bruce said, his voice dark in the comm. Dick stopped his patrol, freezing on a building edge that looked over Gotham. His veins turned to ice. "Rendezvous back at the cave."

Bruce looked at what was left, scooping up Jason's knife and tucking it in his belt. The batmobile skidded to a stop on the curb right behind Jaosn's motorcycle and opened its doors. Bruce was about to turn before a glint off the gun caught his eye. Damian approached the weapon, as he got closer the inscribing on the side became more visible.

Bat repellent

Damian picked up and looked at Bruce who narrowed his eyes. Wordlessly, he grabbed the gun, and threw it into the batmobile with distaste. "Damian, take Jason's bike back." Damian smirked, already planning on crashing it into every tree in Gotham before Bruce gave him a side eye. "No detours."

His grin falling, Damian settled for every tree on the way to the cave. Mounting the vehicle, he revved the engine and shot off, Bruce watching the kid go before looking back at the crime scene. He clenched his jaw, hating the similarity between now, and the first time Jason was killed by the Joker.

Finally turning, Bruce picked up the red helmet Jason had dropped, set it in the car and jumped into the batmobile. His hands curled around the steering wheel tightly. God help what happens if Jason dies one more time.

—-

Sliding into the cave, Bruce hopped out of the car immediately and stalked towards the computer. There, Damian, Dick and Tim were already waiting, each one wearing a grim expression. Even Damian, who normally wouldn't care looked distracted. His fists were working open and closed, a nervous tick Bruce had picked up long ago. Damian was worried.

"Bruce, what happened?" Dick asked as soon as the billionaire reached the computer. Ignoring his eldest, Bruce took out the gun and opened its chamber. Inside, there was a row of 10 bullets in the round. The bat snatched out a bullet, carefully setting it on the computer dash, above a glowing white light. "Bruce?" Dick asked again.

"Analysis." Bruce said finally, not even looking at his sons. Tim moved closer to the keyboard, typing fast and putting in a series of commands. Soon, the monitor blinked, pulling up the qualities and measurements of the bullet.

"That bullet is coated in liquified Xanax and Propofol." Tim said, reading the screen. Dick narrowed his eyes.

"And BZ." He noticed. Damian looked up at that.

"That's impossible, BZ is an airborne poison." He said, his eyes scanning the computer for the information. Once he found it, his nose wrinkled. On the screen it wrote;

Contains BZ. Symptoms: paranoia, hallucinations, intense confusion.

Bruce didn say anything, the silence in the batcave like tangible pressure pressing down on their shoulders. "So what do we do?" Tim asked, breaking the silence. He looking over to Bruce. His cowl had been taken off and underneath his hair was messy, dark rims circling his eyes.

"I'm going back out." Bruce said with finality, the pit in his stomach just getting larger the longer he stood still. Dick immediately followed him and when Tim moved to get up Bruce held up him hand. "No, Tim you stay," turning to Dick, Bruce narrowed his eyes. "You too Dick."

Damian scoffed and walked towards the stairs that led up to the manor. He had the same sinking feeling in his stomach, but pushed it aside. He told himself he would not care. And now he had to follow through. Behind him, Damian could hear both Drake and Grayson arguing feverishly with Bruce. "You're staying." Bruce growled out finally and turned, cutting the argument short and leaving the two in furious silence.

"He's our brother Bruce," Dick attempted to insist but Bruce paid no mind.

"He's my son." Bruce looked back at the two. "All of you are."

—

Jason's hearing came back first, and stuck in the darkness, he strained his ears for any clue what was going on. His mind was blurry, little coming back to him but the throbbing in the back of his head along with the sharp jolts of pain in his torso told him enough. Something was not right. Flexing his hands, Jason quickly realized he was tied to a chair, his hands restrained behind his back and feet separately tied to the two front legs. He also noticed with a pang of disappointment that his leather jacket was missing.

"Yeah, and I took him out, all by myself-" the haughty voice was cut off by the sound of a slap.

"Shut up, you couldn't have done it without the laced bullets you dipshit." A different, more rough voice hissed. Jason refrained from snorting at the pained yelp the first man gave. Laced bullets… that was probably why it felt so fucking weird.

The room suddenly quieted from it's mindless chattering and Jason tried not to tense as footsteps echoed around him. Opening his eyes only a sliver, he forced his vision to focus and recognized the discolored loafers in front of him. "Time to wakey wakey bird boy." An unfortunately familiar voice said, and Jason could hear the grin. Using something long and cold, Jason felt his head lift, and he narrowed his eyes through the mask he was wearing at the clown standing in front of him.

"Joker." Jason said, his tone rough and a growl working its way into the one word.

"Baby bird, it's been too long." The Joker smiled and took the metal away from Jason's chin. Once pulled away, Todd could easily recognize the shape of a crowbar. "I've been waiting for you to call, I loved our date, way back when."

Leaning back, Jason scrunched up his nose and spit, his saliva hitting Joker's shoe. "My schedule doesn't have room for deranged maniacs." With a tilt of his head, the former Robin formed an expression of distaste.

The Joker was still as the goons around him waited in apprehensive silence. Looking down at his shoe, the clown made a comical sad face. Looking back up, his sad face melded into some twisted grin, stretching from one ear to the other and he threw his head back laughing. Cackling like he just heard the funniest joke in the world, and he was soon breathless. Looking around at his thugs, he started laughing again and they began to uneasily laugh too. Catching his breath and peering down at his captive, the Joker made a face. "I see my Robin got humor from my side of the family, I'm so proud." Wiping a fake tear, his expression darkened, the smile staying in place.

Jason didn't even see it coming. One moment, the Joker was leaning real close, the second, a crowbar was sent whipping across his face. The chair he was tied to skidded to the side from the fore of the blow and his torso screamed in protest. The bullet wound hadn't been looked at, and Jason knew that the bullet was still in there. He let his face hang to the side for a moment, catching his breath. Opening his mouth wide, he stretched his jaw. Already the area was starting to throb. He looked back, eyeing the villain through his hair. All he could think about was tearing the clown apart, bone by bone.

"Oh my, that looked painful." Pursing his unnatural lips, the Joker hummed. "But maybe not enough," he approached the old Robin and hovered right in front of the vigilante's head. Thinking fast, Jason lurched forward and slammed his skull into the Joker's, a smirk etched onto his face. Rearing back, the pasty white clown held his forehead and blew a raspberry in the vigilante's direction. "Pity, I was really looking forward to dragging this out this time." The madman said in a tone so disappointed, Jason almost puked. What the actual fuck.

"Sir," a goon approached the Joker, head bowed and eyes never leaving the crowbar.

"What it is you moron." The crazy man turned to his thug and stared down with irritation. Shifting under the gaze, Todd couldn't help but scoff at the pitiful sight.

"The bat is confirmed looking for Red Hood. It won't be long before he finds us." The goon sounded worried and a grin settled on Jason's face despite the situation. The little scum should be worried, and not because the dark knight was looking for them.

"He'll never find us in time," Joker looked to Jason, as if reading his mind. "We will be looong gone by then." The villain let loose a wild cackle and he swung the crowbar again, barely missing the goon and solidly hitting Jason in the center of his chest. Biting back a groan of pain, Todd gasped to recover his breath, glad his armor was shock absorbent. "So, baby bird," swinging the bar to rest on his shoulder, Joker paused and put a hand to his chin.

"If you're old and grey now, not very fun," Joker raised a testing eyebrow. "How old is the new Robin?" He asked, tone laced with a twisted curiosity. Jason didn't respond, his eyes narrowed and focused on the wall behind the clown. "Come on sport, answer a simple question for your old man." Joker leaned in close. "You're not protecting the bugger are you?" Jason just clenched his jaw and ignored the spiking pain shooting from his abdomen. After not getting a rise, the Joker leaned back and sighed. Seemingly cooled off, the villain suddenly smacked the metal bar into Jason's rib cage, the sharpened edge cutting cleanly through his suit. Jason gritted his teeth to prevent the hiss from escaping but still grunted in pain.

"Little Jaybird… help Uncle J out please?" Joker tried again, yet still nothing came out of Jason's mouth. However much he disliked the demon spawn, giving Joker satisfaction outweighed his feelings for Damian, a million to one. At least, that's what he told himself. A growl grew from Joker's throat and he started to swing wildly, most blows hitting Jason's chest and stomach. The ex-bird refused to yell and even kept his mouth shut when the chair tipped from the force of a backhand. His bullet wound suddenly jerked a bolt of white hot fire through his body and Jason closed his eyes briefly. That was definitely not good.

Jason's lip was bleeding and streams of blood trailed down his chest and torso when the Joker finally set down the crowbar. The clown was panting while Jason lay on the ground, his eyes open still and narrowed. He was gazing at the Joker with such contempt, the maniac started to laugh breathlessly, not as powerful as before, but a laugh regardless.

"You're tough kid, I'll give you that." The villain said, his tone dark.

Jason didn't respond, blood filling his mouth. He spit it out onto someone's face as three goons lifted up the chair and set him upright. The person growled and slapped Jason before a gunshot went off immediately and blood splattered against the stone grey wall behind them. Joker lowered his smoking gun, the dull thump of a body hitting the floor loud as thunder in the now quiet room.

"No one touches the Hood, but me." He said, his voice unnervingly clear. There was no tone of laughter, no grin, it made cold fingers creep up Jason's spine.

Every thug nodded profusely and Joker holdered his gun, the silver glint now hidden in his waistband. Jason gritted his teeth. Looking back to his captive, the madman gave a chuckle. "You are mine birdie, and just like last time, no bat is going to come save you." He leaned in close, yellow teeth and bad breath making Jason wrinkle his nose in disgust. "Mine, mine mine mine mine mine~" the Joker trailed off into a song and leaned away, beginning a dance.

Jason watched, his expression never changing.


	2. Chapter 2

Dick wouldn't admit it, but the real reason he was staying up, sitting in the cave by himself, had nothing to do with a case he was working on in Blüdhaven. It wasn't a very believable lie, Alfred had seen right through it, but the acrobat knew he wouldn't be able to sleep even if he wanted to. His mind flashed to the last time he heard that Jason had been taken by the Joker, and a tremor ran up Dick's back.

Sitting with his feet propped up into the computer dash, Dick closed his eyes and consciously breathed in and out. His eyes snapped open, a mountain of false hope blooming in his gut as he heard the batmobile's tired screech into the cave. Vaulting over the chair, Dick looked at Bruce, but the man pulled down his cowl, no sarcastic vigilante in tow.

"You didn't find him." Dick said, the disappointment and fear more apparent than the oldest brother expected. Bruce shook his head, moving straight to the batcomputer and resting his hands on the dash. His shoulders hunched and Dick took a few steps until they were side by side. "Bruce, Jason's stronger now," the billionaire looked at Dick with hard eyes, daring him to say anything against searching. "We know he's stronger than both of us." Dick rested a hand on his adoptive father's shoulder. "But that doesn't meet you do this alone for a second time. You need to let me help." Grayson let his hand fall. "You need to let all of us help."

Bruce was silent, his eyes focused on his hands, the black kevlar folding as he clenched his hands. "Fine." He said finally, his voice rough. "But we do this my way," Bruce looked up. "I'm not losing more people than I half to." Dick nodded. He took a step back, his sweatpants and cotton shit dragging Bruce's attention. "You should be in bed." Bruce said offhandedly, looking at the clock and reading 4:58.

"So should you Master Bruce." Alfred said as he approached the pair with a silver tray. On it, three cups of steaming tea were prepared, wafting a scent Dick could only place as home.

"Alfred," Bruce accepted the drink but didn't take a sip, setting it on the computer dash. "I'm not resting until I find him." Turning to his screen, Bruce sighed, the blue light making his head pulse. Dick's eyes flickered down to the tray as he blew on the tea and he frowned.

"Are you going to drink some Alfred?" The acrobat asked, his gaze fixed on the third cup. The butler chuckled slightly.

"The last cup is for Master Tim who is undoubtedly still awake in his room." Alfred said, one eyebrow raised. Dick could take a hint. Blowing one last time on his own tea, Dick set the steaming mug on the tray Alfred was holding and took it from the butler's hands. Saluting to Bruce who wasn't paying attention, Dick walked up the stairs leading to the manor. As he left, Alfred called after him. "And check on master Damian, would you?"

Exiting the secret staircase, Dick carefully held the tray with one hand while climbing the main stairwell. His gut tugged painfully as he passed Jason's designated room. Making it half-way down the hall, the oldest stopped outside a door, the faint sounds of typing echoing inside the room. Without pausing, Dick twisted the handle on the door and swung it open, revealing Tim sitting at his desk. He had his laptop propped up on the table while a cold cup of half-finished coffee sat beside him. Walking in, Dick saw news reports of the Joker and the name Red Hood flashed on the screen before the third robin exited his computer and the log in screen turned on.

"I was just going to bed-" Dick put a hand out to catch Tim's shoulder as he got up hastily. Gently steering the boy back to his chair, Dick had him sit and leaned against the table. Taking the coffee off the desk, Grayson frowned.

"How old is this?" Dick asked, holding up the mug. Tim shrugged.

"A couple days?"

Sighing, a hint of disgust in his tone, Dick moved it back and set the hot tea in its place. Eyes lighting up, Tim grabbed the tea and held it with both hands close to his mouth. He closed his eyes, the pounding behind his eyelids lessening exponentially.

"What did you find?" Dick asked, pulling up a chair from the other desk which was covered in papers and three other empty cups smelling suspiciously like a mix of coffee and energy drinks. Tim looked at his brother over the top of his cup before releasing a breath. Turning to his computer, Tim brought back the screen with the articles.

"Every single time Joker takes a hostage, its either to get under Bruce's skin or by circumstance." Tim said, his hands releasing the beverage and starting to fly across the laptop's keyboard. Dick nodded in agreement with the little bird's statement but then frowned.

"Yeah, like a hostage in a bank or something… What does that have to do with Jason?" He asked, not following. Tim didn't register the question at first, eyes flickering across his computer as he pressed search.

"Joker shouldn't know that Jason and Bruce are on speaking terms, much less patrol together, so that rules out the Batman theory, but also, Joker went out _looking_ for him." Tim shook his head. "Which rules out the other one, but…" Dick narrowed his eyes. "If you read between the lines from the past two weeks," with a single click, pages started to pop up, each one mentioning the Joker or the Scarecrow. "While we were trying to find Joker, we missed Crane's shipment at the docks, where one hundred doses of fear toxin was dropped." Mind moving so fast, Tim barely noticed Dick's confused expression. Looking to his older brother, Tim made a face.

"Okay Timmy, you're going to have to go over this again, how do you know about the shipments if we missed them?" Dick was thoroughly impressed but still struggled to connect the dots.

"There's a trail, some toxin was traced from a civilian and that's all I needed." Tim got up and moved to his messy desk and ruffled the papers around. "But that's not the important part, the important part is why Joker took Jason and where they are. If I can find a motive…" Digging through the mountain of loose leaf paper, Tim finally found what he was looking for. He handed it to Dick.

"Is this Jason's biology?" Dick asked in surprise, his eyebrows raising slightly. Tim shrugged. "What is it for?" Dick's voice was laced with confusion again and he automatically wondered if Tim had as thorough tabs on him.

"If you look at the data, there's one thing that singles Jason out from the rest of us." Tim said, grabbing his tea and starting to drink it slowly. Dick made a face, his eyebrows daring together.

"You mean besides being previously dead?" Tim rolled his eyes at the comment and moved over to where Dick was sitting. Pointing at the bottom of the page, he hummed.

"He's one of the only people, or maybe even _the only_ person who is immune to both Joker gas and fear toxin." Dick's jaw unhinged in surprise. "Which means Joker was looking for him because he _knew,_ and probably is with Crane this instant, creating some kind of nightmare gas strong enough to take out a heavy hitter like Jason." Tim took a step back. "The only questions now are why take out Jason? What's coming?"

Dick stood up. "And where is he?" Tim sat down, his whole body flopping down.

"That, that I can't find." The boy admitted, running a hand through his hair. He sighed, bending back forward to his computer. "I've checked renting, recent activity changes in gangs, even people moving out, leaving their houses empty before someone else moves in, nothing." Leaning back in his chair, Tim rested an arm over his face. "I know I'm missing something important, but I can't find out what and nothing makes _sense_."

Dick rested a hand on the younger brother's shoulder and stood up. "I'm taking this evidence to Bruce, Tim," the old robin looked up, his eyes opening to meet Dick's gaze. "Get some rest. You've done more than enough."

Nodding, Tim watched Dick go before looking back to his laptop. Waiting only a second, he took a sip of his drink and then continued to type furiously. He couldn't stop. Not when he was so close to finding out where his brother was.

Dick exited the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. Moving towards the stairs, he remembered Alfred's request and spun around. Taking only a few steps to the next room, Dick knocked lightly. After there was no response, he entered. The room was dark, no movement and Dick pin pointed Damian fast. The youngest was motionless on his bed, curled up with his back facing the wall, the only movement being his chest as he breathed. Grayson bit his lip. Damian was an assassin at heart, which meant he never turned his back on the entry point unless conscious of his decision. There was something wrong.

"Damian, I know you're awake." Dick said, his voice soft. The bundle of murder didnt move before slowly shifting to his back. Early light was starting to spill through the window and Dick could see the reflection of the tear stains trailing down Damian's cheeks. Dick's chest twisted. He moved over to the large bed, Damian swimming in the space and sat down on the edge. "Damian…"

"I'm not a child Grayson." Damian said stubbornly, not so subtly wiping at his face with his sleeve. Dick realised it was his Robin sleeve and the kid had crawled into bed with his costume still on. "I understand the chances of Todd getting out alive, a _second_ time, are small." He sounded so mature, and it made Dick want to shake the kid until he forgot all about being an adult. "I still want him back though." And the final word began to crumble. Damian clenched his fists to refrain from crying, in front of _Grayson_ of all people.

"Damian, we will get him back." Dick said, his voice firm. The smaller boy didn't show any signs of agreeing or disagreeing. "I honestly didn't know you care for him this much." Dick admitted, curiosity peeking at his tone. If Damian caught it, he paid no attention.

"He's the only one who's like me." Damian said, his eyes lowering. Dick internally winced. Of course, how could he have been so stupid. Jason was the only person who really connected with Damian after he died, he was the only person who could really understand and explain what Damian was feeling. "And he doesn't even come to the manor." Damian finished. Dick rested a hand on the robin's shoulder.

"Because he's tried to kill all of us at least once, you included." Dick reasoned. "Jason, he doesn't always feel as confident as he looks."

"I've tried to kill you, I try to kill Drake on a daily basis." Damian felt his gut tensing with every word. "I just, Grayson I don't understand, why him? I heard you talking with Drake." Damian looked up at Dick. "I was brought back to life, shouldn't I be as valuable as Todd. Couldn't they have taken me instead?" His expressions as screwed up into a deep frown, more anger than sadness seeping through now.

"Damian, don't think like that." Dick said, his eyes narrowing and mouth settling in a grim line. "And I don't know. But I'm glad they didn't." Damian looked up to argue but Dick cut him off. "I wish they didn't take Jason at all, but I know he'd rather have it be him than you."

Leaving the conversation at that, Dick got up, ruffling Damian's hair before leaving. The boy watched Dick go before frowning. He remained sitting up as the door closed, leaving him alone again.

—

When Jason woke up from his second drug induced nap, he winced, his eyebrows drawing together. Both his jaw and chest thudded in sync, the bruises probably forming similar shades of purple. A small puddle of blood was starting to form under his chair and just to make things better, Jason could feel the bullet in his stomach.

Wrinkling his nose, Jason turned his head and identified the scent as burned popcorn. "What the hell…" Jason muttered curses to himself as he swiveled back around and checked his bullet wound. There wasn't much to see since his armor shielded it mostly at his angle but Jason knew it wouldn't look good. Blood had dried on his costume and fresh rivulets were reflecting the dim light above his head.

"Hey." Someone yelled from across the room and Jason narrowed his eyes. Footsteps approached him and he turned his head slightly just so he could see out of the corner of his eye. A goon about the size of Bruce was walking by himself, approaching Jason from the side with a large knife in his hands. "Don't move." The guy said and Todd rolled his eyes.

"Wouldn't dream of it." The vigilante responded, his dry sarcasm flying over the underpaid thug's head.

Getting only a centimeter from the goon, Jason felt his muscles tense. The guy paused in Jason's blind spot and after a second that felt like an hour, something cold and smooth passed by the Red Hood's wrists. Jason didn't move, feeling the rope around his hands fall. Once the man had come around to the front, knife sliding easily through the bindings on his feet, Jason didn't hesitate.

Shooting forward, Jason lunged but was met with a knife to his throat. "I said, don't move." The guy hissed. He pressed the blade deeper into Jason's throat and he felt it break skin. Only a few drops escaped before Todd was forced back into his chair. Releasing the pressure on Jason's throat, the thug didn't lower his knife. Smart.

"Where am I?" Jason asked. His eyes flickered to the gun on the thug's waist and he looked back up, gaze scanning the blade. It was a standard blade, nothing special, so Jason figured going for the gun was a better idea. While his opponent was distracted, another voice coming from outside the room, Jason dove, hitting the thug right around the middle. Tackling him to the floor, his fingers brushed the gun handle before arms grabbed at his legs and pulled him up. Thrashing in the hold, the second robin growled but a sharp knife to his throat (again?) made him stop. The blood already there was wet against his skin.

"My my, the bat didn't teach you as well as he thought." Joker's mocking voice came from behind Jason and soon enough, the clown came into view. His mouth was curled at the corners, eyes sparkling with a curiosity Jason only saw as insanity. Whipping the hair covering his eyes back, Jason glared but didn't say anything. "Let him go." The Joker said. With great hesitancy, the thugs holding Jason let go, each one taking a step back.

"What game are you playing at?" Jason asked, his eyes narrowed to slits.

The Joker shrugged, his purple suit looking much more torn than before. Todd rolled out his shoulders, refusing the urge to wince as his torso jolted in pain. "I play a lot of games, I play so many I forget the rules most of the time." Laughing lightly at his own joke, the maniac looked at Jason. "The question is, what are you playing at?" Raising an eyebrow, Jason snorted, his eyes scanning the room. "What kind of rules do you live by birdie boy." Looking in the darkness, the vigilante swore he saw himself before the deranged man in front of him stole his attention. "'Cause I know they're different from everyone else's."

"What the fuck is that suposed to mean-" before Jason could finish his sentence, a sudden lightning strike of fire hit his leg. With a sharp hiss escaping his lips, Jason buckled to one knee, blood quickly pooling from his thigh. Looking down, a knife the size of a bat-a-rang was sticking out of his leg, the cloth around it turning darker.

"See, when I shoot a guy in the gut and stab him in the leg," without looking, Joker pulled out his gun and shot one of his thugs. Then taking a spear type weapon from one of his goons, Joker stabbed the fallen guy's upper thigh. "They don't stand up to fight someone." As if to prove his point, the guy who was shot stopped moving, his groans silencing. "You do."

Jason felt a cold tremor work it's way up his back but he balled his hands into fists instead, tensing his back until he felt nothing. Joker moved closer. Jason didn't waver his gaze, eyes locked.

"And that's why you're going to be my newest science experiment." Jason growled at the new voice. The familiar mask of Scarecrow approached from the far corner of the room, dark with shadows.

"You know, that one's actually on my bucket list." Jason said, a smirk growing on his face. Before anyone old move, he swept his leg under the thug next to him and punched him in the nose, the guy going down fast. Taking his firearm, Jason stood back up, pointing the gun at Joker. Instantly, every one of the goons had their weapons drawn, aiming for the dangerous bat in the room. "Right under killing the Joker."

The clown laughed. "I have a special place in the kid's heart, don't be jealous." He said to Crane. The villain looked at Joker with unappeal before moving his gaze to Jason.

"Will taking this clown out really be worth wasting your life?" Crane asked and Jason frowned, his eyes looking from Scarecrow to Joker.

"Well, you'd know since you're wasting your time with him right now." Jason retorted, his hand steady but his gut twisting. Something told him that it was now or never. Tensing his finger on the trigger, Crane chuckled. Jason ignored the intense pain emitting from his thigh, wet blood slicking his skin.

"You hide behind your humor," his hand reached into a pocket and pulled out something wrapped in cloth. Jason caught it with one hand, the other still holding the gun. "But what happens when you are faced with reality?" Looking down, Jason unwrapped the object, the cloth falling to the floor to reveal a small metal circle. Bringing it up to his face, Jason narrowed his eyes before the circle moved. Surprised, Jason didn't have time to react before the small robot jumped onto his neck and attached itself. The vigilante cringed and pulled at the circle, the metal now glowing a soft red color.

The gun was swiped from Jason's hand and he didn't bother trying to grab it back, uselessly scratching at the metal on his skin. Joker stepped forward with the crowbar from before in hand and with surprising strength, hit Jason in the stomach, right over his bullet wound. Crumbling to one knee, the knife still sticking out, Jason looked up at the two villains in front of him.

"You know," he winced and let go of the circle, now holding his abdomen where blood was starting to leak. "There's enough of me to go around." A sly smile spread over the vigilante's face. Scarecrow looked unmoved and he looked to Joker.

"Tie him back up, we're starting now."

Jason felt arms pull him back and once he was standing, a wave of vertigo hit him head on. Stumbling, the goons harshly guided Todd to his chair. Slamming into the wood, rope immediately was curled around his torso, legs and hands again. Groaning, Jason shook his head and bared his teeth in a snarl. "He's ready boss." Someone said and Scarecrow approached Jason with a vial. The contents were a muddy brown color.

"What is that?" Jason asked, his voice low. He curled his hands into fists behind the chair and clenched his jaw. The bruise of the side pulsed.

"This, Red Hood, is a mix of two fear toxins. Standard, and the Super Toxin 451-A." Scarecrow didn't have to say more because Jason's expression grew hard. "See, I'm conducting an experiment, and you are my subject."

"So why go through the trouble of getting that madman into it?" Jason asked, jerking his chin in the direction of Joker who was standing in the corner of the room.

"That's me!" The clown said and Jason rolled his eyes. Underneath, he felt his hands get sweaty and his heart started to race faster. Scarecrow seemed to smell his fear and smiled.

"You know how protective the Joker is. And I feel that using some of his laughing gas could help with my theory." Crane started to unscrew his vial.

"What's the theory? You know maybe instead of testing it on me I can help you test it on someone else? You know, villain to villain." Jason offered, his expression of neutrality harder to keep up.

"Red Hood, please, you're not a villain." Crane scoffed, the vial now open and the contents releasing an odor of dead rats. Jason cringed back at the smell. "You're a boy pretending to be bad, for attention." When Jason made a face to look up at Scarecrow, the man shook his head. "I was a psychologist Hood. And you're a _very_ interesting case."

"Alright so when you stop psycho-analyzing me, tell me what's going on in my head because I'd really like to know." The sarcasm in Jason's voice was thick but underneath he could feel his tone waver slightly. He clenched his fists a little tighter. Crane grabbed Jason by the chin, his hand firm and digging into the vigilante's cheeks. Forcing his mouth open, Jason formed a snarl. Trying to drag his face away, the vial was brought up to Todd's nose. The smell alone made him nauseous.

"As for the theory, I believe that by however means you were brought back to life, it made you more than human." Jason rolled his eyes at that but kept his mouth shut. If only he knew how right he was. "Now drink." Scarecrow ordered, but Todd bared his teeth, his eyes glaring straight at the criminal's mask. "I said," nodding to a goon who was standing beside the two, Crane narrowed his eyes. The thug reared froward and yanked the blade out of Jason's leg. "_Drink_."

Jason's mouth opened on reflex, his flesh ripping as the single serrated edge hooked on skin on it's way out. Crane forced the liquid toxin into the second robin's mouth. Gagging, Jason tried to spit it out but Scarecrow unsheathed a knife and held it over the bloody wound in Todd's stomach. The tip ripped at the already torn flesh. "Swallow or I'll find your current Robin and make him watch." Jason narrowed his eyes, debating his choices before he growled, and the toxin passed down his throat. "Good." Scarecrow put away the blade and looked at Joker. Jason followed his gaze and did a double take when he realised the clown was standing behind a camera.

"Oh hell no, I am not going to be used in a pity party video for leverage you sick fu-" the goon from before knocked a hand into his chest so hard he coughed. The fear mixture was already taking its effect, Jason's heartbeat and blood starting to feel electrified, going faster and thrilling through him icily.

"Oop! No bad words, this is going to be a family friendly video so that the whole gang can watch." Joker said, his voice laced with humor and a laugh bubbling off at the end of the clown's sentence.

Jason cringed, the laugher starting to echo in his head and he shut his eyes before opening them again. The light over his head was suddenly brighter than the sun and everything around him was blurry. "I think it's working." Crane muttered and Jason gritted his teeth before forcing his eyes to focus on Scarecrow's face. He felt the dizziness in the back of his head but pushed it away. If anything, he wasn't going to look weak in front of Bruce, not again.

"Come on Hoodie, don't fight it." Joker said, walking away from the camera and he got closer to Jason's face. Was it him or did the clown suddenly grow razor sharp teeth? "Just give in, live a little," Joker let loose a wild cackle that raises the hair on Jason's arms and he turned his head to the side. The toxin was cold and he could feel it clouding his thoughts.

Tugging at his bonds, Jason could feel the pure fear starting to take control of him. It was just like he remembered, he first time got sprayed with the toxin. First his senses went numb. The light dimmed and his hearing fluttered in and out. Jason growled, his voice starting to give a tremor that filled Crane with anticipation.

And suddenly it was adrenaline. Jason blinked once, His head clearing and he snapped his head up. Making direct eye contact with Crane, he smirked devilishly. "Guess it didn't work."

Scarecrow made a face and a snarl was rumbling in his throat before he turned around and started to rummage through a bag at the edge of the room. While the two villains were distracted, Joker monologuing to the camera and Scarecrow's back turned, Jason focused on his surroundings. The smell of burnt popcorn, the strange reflection in the dark, the big ass room that seemed to be underground… Jason thought too all the places he busted Joker but none came to mind until a thug whispered to his neighbor.

"I can't wait to get out of this basement, it still smells like soda and piss."

And Jason smirked slightly, ducking his head to prevent attracting attention. He knew exactly where he was. His mind went back to the last time he'd been here, underneath the mirror house in the old carnival grounds.

"Hood, you're not allergic to anything," Crane turned back around and Jason looked up. He paused.

"I'm allergic to bullshit." The vigilante said and Crane nodded. He muttered something like 'sure' and approached Todd. Jason looked at the vial, this time the color a dark red and Jason frowned. It sloshed inside the glass, staining the sides. "You're not giving me blood are you?" Jason asked, one eyebrow raising. "You know, I drank blood right after I was resurrected." He said.

Crane stopped. "You did?..." he asked. Jason pursed his lips, trying to prevent a snort from escaping. He managed a nod before a laugh sipped through his teeth and he started to chuckle. Scarecrow narrowed his eyes and with more force than before grabbed Jason's jaw.

"Whoah, no need to get feisty." Jason taunted, cocking an eyebrow and Crane growled, this vial pushing against Todd's lips insistently. When he didn't open his mouth again, Joker moved closer.

"Maybe he needs a push in the wrong direction." The clown suggested and Jason didn't change his expression. He felt his fingernails make indents through his gloves into his palms and looked over at the camera. As if waiting for the opportune moment, an idea popped into his head so brilliant Jason was sure Tim had put it there. "Tell me doctor, have you ever played operation?" Joker asked innocently. Taking a step back, Crane caught on fast. He smiled.

"I have." The two looked at Jason and the vigilante drew his eyebrows together, gaze switching from one to the other.

"I'm not going to like this am I?"


	3. Chapter 3

Bruce was still at the computer when Damian came down to the cave an hour later. Watching his father work, the youngest made a face and moved to the sparring ring. He shed the blanket around his shoulders, revealing that the boy had slept in his Robin outfit. "Damian shouldn't you be in bed." Bruce's voice came from his unmoving position.

"It's morning father, if anything you are the one who should be resting." Damian replied. He narrowed his eyes at the closest target, a simple practice dummy and was about to attack when out of the corner of his eye he saw a lump. It was moving, slow breaths that meant whoever it was, was asleep. The mop of black hair was easily distinguishable as Grayson. Switching his aim, Damian smirked and leapt for the sleeping acrobat, all thoughts of their talk earlier purged.

Dick was having a dream about the circus, so when a huge weight suddenly dropped onto his chest, he immediately thought an elephant had fallen on him. Eyes shooting open and sitting up, Grayson was jolted by Damian who had jumped onto his brother and the flipped away.

"Get up Grayson, spar with me." Damian all by demanded and Dick looked at his younger sibling before laying back down and closing his eyes. Damian narrowed his and sprang at the oldest again. This time, Dick was prepared and he moved at the last second, twisting so that Damian flew right under his arched back. Flipping to two feet, Grayson yawned, stretching his arms up in a Y.

Coming down the stairs, Tim joined the three in the cave, in his hand a cup of coffee so black Dick could almost smell the pure caffeine. "Did you find anything?" The acrobat asked, his voice drowsy but the undertone of hope was still there. Tim shook his head and Dick's expression dropped.

Damian looked from Drake to Grayson, his eyebrows drawn in a frown. "I don't understand why we are sitting here doing nothing when we could be outside, scouting for Todd." The robin pointed out and Dick nodded.

"I agree, we should be out there-"

A small trilling on the batcomputer made all four bats in the room look to the screen. The large monitor was static before it flickered to a dark room. A single bulb hovered over the middle of the space, it's dim light acting deep shadows. Dick's insides sunk to the floor when in the center of the room was a single figure tied to a chair.

"Jason." The oldest said quietly and Bruce's gut twisted.

"Tim, track the signal now."

Drake sat down immediately, plugging his computer in and started to type, his eyes flying over the laptop. Dick come up close to the screen, a balloon of guilt starting to swell as he took in his younger brother's wounds. There was a massive bruise on Jason's left cheek, while on his chest multiple lacerations and blood was dripping onto the already splattered floor. What worried Dick the most was the gashing wounds on Jason's stomach and thigh. The pant material looked to be soaked through while the wound on Jason's abdomen was sliding down his side and dripping blood onto the floor. It looked bad.

"Is this a live recording?" Dick asked, his eyes moving to Bruce who was also typing, his jaw clenched fiercely.

"It's broadcasting all over the city." Tim said, his voice quiet and Damian watched Dick look up at Jason, his eyes narrowed.

"Hello Gotham City," A deep voice rumbled. Scarecrow. Damian narrowed his eyes to slits and unconsciously rested his hand on his hip where a sword would normally hang. "And hello Batman," Crane stepped out of the shadows, the light above Jason stretching the shadows over the villain's face. Tim pressed down the growing dread in his chest. "You all may be in your home, in your car, or at work but you all will bear witness to this." Scarecrow turned his attention to the lone bat in his captivity. "Red Hood, is _not_ what he claims to be."

Jason stirred in his chair before Crane grabbed the vigilante's neck and brought his face up to the camera. "Go on, tell them." The criminal mocked but Jason just looked into the camera, his mask doing little to hide his expression. He looked indifferent. "If you don't, I will." Crane growled but still, Jason kept his mouth shut. Digging his hand deeper into the skin on Jason's neck, Dick felt bile rise in his throat as the flesh spilled blood and two scratches on his neck became visible. "Fine." Tossing his head back, Crane took a step away from his captive. Dick frowned when he noticed a glint of silver attacked to Jason's skin under his ear.

"The Red Hood is not a human." Crane declared and Bruce looked to Tim who was growing more frustrated by the second. "He has been killed by the Joker, and brought back to life, by a Lazarus pit." Dick's jaw dropped. Damian felt his fists curl. "That made him immune to my fear toxin, and the Joker's gas, but not anymore." Taking a couple strides towards the screen, Damian noticed Jason's hand moving. It was sign language. "Batman, your old partner's time is running short, and when my experiment is concluded, the Joker with be let loose on the bird." As if the power cut out, the screen went blank. The previous pages open popped back up accompanied by Tim letting out a groan, his head slamming into the table.

"I missed it! How could I miss it." He said to himself, and in the back of Tim's throat, a scratching started to well up, transforming into a mix of a yell and sob.

"He's at the Carnival of Wells." Damian said breaking throat Tim's distraught shout. Bruce turned to his son. Before he could even ask, the boy shrugged. "Jason told us though the video, no one was paying attention though." Damian couldn't help but mutter under his breath. "Like always."

Dick instantly charged towards his suit which Alfred knowingly had draped over the railing, grabbing it and whipping away to change. Tim stood up to do the same, downing the last of his coffee before taking off. Still in his Batman costume, Bruce moved to his batmobile. Damian followed. Without argument, which Damian appreciated, Bruce let him sit in the passenger seat, and the two blasted out of the cave. Dick had changed, his domino mask concealing anger as he jumped onto his bike. The motorcycle engine roared after Bruce, Tim right behind him.

—

As the camera shut off, Jason growled lowly, his voice scratched from use. Images of being buried alive, his death and the fiery explosion of a bomb fought to take control of his head and Jason useless pushed them back. "So, my standard mixed with Essence de Trauma is what gets into your head," Crane leaned in close to Jason, resting a hand under the vigilante's chin. "Shame," leaning back, Crane looked distastefully at Joker. "He's all yours."

Jason fought his bonds, the all too familiar feeling of helplessness washing over him as Scarecrow walked away.

"So it's just us." Joker approached, crowbar in hand. Jason's eyes flickered to the metal before moving back up to the Joker's face. "Oh this ol' thing?" Joker tossed it aside, pulling a remote out of his pocket. The crowbar clattered to the ground, echoing and making Todd's head spin. "We're going to try something new, I never liked the idea of killing someone the same way twice." Laughing, Joker wiggled his fingers before pressing down on a button. Immediately, Jason was filled with white hot electricity, spiking from the small metal circle buried in his skin.

He gritted his teeth, but nothing could be done about the screams that still made their way past, making the basement explode with sound. Joker's mad laughing could be heard over the cries and his goons all but left, not a single person electing to stay in the underground area. Abruptly, the lighting coursing through his body stopped, and Jason sagged against the chair, the rope rubbing at his skin through his sleeves.

"Hmm, electrifying is fun and all, but I personally enjoy watching someone squirm, Vango!" Joker yelled and a man entered the room timidly.

"Sir?" He asked, the tremor in his voice extremely noticeable. His hands shook.

"Untie the ever so fearless Red Hood." Joker said, his voice mocking and the clown even orchestrated a dramatic bow to his captive. Jason didn't have the energy to do anything but glare knives at the criminal, his thigh and torso screaming at his brain. Slicing through the rope keeping Jason on the chair, the vigilante inhaled sharply and fell to his hands and knees. His vision was still swimming and his hands seemed to move hours after he told them too. "Want your chair back?" Joker asked. Jason didn't have time to prepare himself before the wood was slammed into his back, shattering to splinters and slamming him into the ground. "Huh, what'cha know. If you can't find a crowbar, use a chair."

Looking back at the remote, Joker hummed. "There's so many modes, and so many choices… guess I'll have to go with," Joker looked up at Jason who was stubbornly getting to his knees, blood wiped across his face in a diagonal from the liquid on the ground. "This one!" Pressing down on the remote, Jason choked as suddenly, his throat closed up. Putting one hand to his neck, he gapped, eyes going wide and hands clenching. Jason looked up at Joker, who's eyes were lit up with delight. "What a catch, the Red Hood looks like a fish!" That dissolved the clown in rambunctious laugher, the sound pounding off every wall until it hit Jason's ears.

He felt his knees give out, followed quickly by his elbows. Todd turned onto one side, eyes open and fixated on the maniac who was laughing so hard, his jaw looked like it unhinged. The image flickered, like it was a glitch and suddenly the Joker was his mother. Jason felt his chest clench tightly. The woman was looking at him, with such distaste, Jason looked away. His eyes burned and lungs flared as they reached for oxygen. Above, a thump sounded and made the Joker jump.

"Guess daddy bats really didn't want to wait," looking at the man on the ground, Joker shrugged. "See you never again kid." He tossed the remote to the corner of the room and Jason's eyesight blurred as he watched the clown walk away from him. His vision flickered again and it was his mother once more. She didn't even look back before he blinked and was gone.

The sounds of fighting upstairs were drowned out at Jason's heart pounded in his ears. His perception pulsed with his heart and suddenly the room was dark. Todd knew he was still conscious, his body still fighting for air and he rolled onto his stomach. Trying to focus, he began to drag himself forward, black and white box laying only ten feet away. The light spilling under the door was his only guide, the lamp out as soon as Jason's mother left. He heaved, a little surprised he was still conscious, looking towards the door as it flew open, and his vision spotted before going out completely.

Flinging the door open so hard, Dick thought it would fly off its hinges. He didn't need to stand in the doorway for more than a second, his eyes falling on a person laying on the floor immediately. Blood was scattered all over the floor, a dead body in the corner. With the light in the hall spilling in, Dick could see more than he wanted to and rushed in. Jason looked towards him, eyes unfocused before he froze. Dick skidded to his knees, disregarding the red liquid undoubtedly soaking into his suit. The oldest pressed his hands firmly to Jason's neck, fingers shaking and lip bitten raw.

"Come on Jay, come on." Dick hissed, his chest heavy with an invisible weight. Out of the corner of his eye, Nightwing saw a box, about the side of an old phone, the screen up. When he didn't detect a heartbeat, Dick lunged for the box on a whim, his gut dragging him forward. Turning it in his hands, on the screen it read suffocation. Dick looked over at Jason, his head spinning by one string and out of sheer hope, he clicked the off switch, making the screen go dark. \\\

As if waiting for him to listen, Dick's gut made him rush back over to Jason. The older vigilante blew air back into Jason's lungs, starting compressions. Dick heard footsteps coming up behind him but he paid no attention, gaze focused on his younger brother who was getting paler by the second. Tim kneeled beside Nightwing and ripped his cape, tying it around Jason's leg to add pressure and minimize the bleeding. "Is he?" Tim didn't seem to care about the tremble in his voice. Dick didn't respond.

After the fifth round of compressions, Dick rested his fingers on Jason's neck, holding his breath. He released it when he felt a pulse. Jason suddenly jerked, coughing violently and twisting over. Dick put a hand on his shoulder and held on tightly, his chest still weighted heavily and mangled in a ball of fear.

Sucking in large gulps of air, Jason heaved, his chest expanding and contracting faster than what should be acceptable. He recovered as well as he could before spinning, getting to his feet and raising his fists in defense, the blood on his face glistening in the light that came from the door in front of him. For a moment, he just glared, eyes unfocused before they registered the two people in front of him.

"Get back." Jason snarled, his exhausted muscles spasming as he held up his hands.

"Jason, hey, it's just us," Dick held up his hands and Tim did the same. It took less time than Dick expected to win him over, Jason slowly lowering his fists, recognition dawning in his eyes. The mask over his face was torn in several spots and after a single look, Dick gently took it off. Jason didn't resist and once Nightwing put it in his belt, the younger of the two almost collapsed into his brother's arms. Tim helped catch Todd and Dick felt the second robin tighten his grip around the acrobat's middle.

"Jason, we need to get you to the cave," Tim insisted, looking at Dick. Grayson nodded in agreement and he adjusted Jason so that he was now leaning completely on Dick, one hand slung over the other's shoulder.

They emerged from the room, going down the hall that lead up into the sun and on their way to the door, Damian and Bruce came rushing. Without even taking a second look, Bruce took Tim's place, moving Jason's arm to his shoulders. Blood was trailing after the ground as they moved. Damian couldn't help but grind his teeth together. If Joker and Scarecrow did this in one night to Jason, he looked down. How potent was that toxin?

"Dick, ride back with Damian, I'm taking Jason." Bruce ordered and without a word, Robin jumped onto Nightwing's motorcycle.

The group of five roared down the awakened streets of Gotham, pedestrians watching with wide eyes as the posse of bats zoomed down blocks at 70 miles per hour. In the passenger seat of the batmobile, Jason groaned, his abdomen suddenly spilling blood at a faster rate.

"Fuck." He cursed, hands applying pressure and his gloves quickly getting soaked in red. Bruce spared a glance and wished he hadn't. The blood was covering Jason's armor and dripping onto the seat of the car. Skidding into the batcave faster than advisable, Bruce deployed himself and instantly opened the door to Jason's side of the car. The cave was suddenly loud with the sound of engines as two motorcycles roared in and jerked to a stop. Picking Jason up, Alfred was waiting by a gurney, plastic gloves on and beside him Dr. Thompkins.

"Get him over here." Thompkins ordered and she took control immediately. After Jason was safely placed on the bed with wheels, she rolled him out, Alfred following close behind. Dick watched them disappear into the medical section of the cave. It had been blocked off with a temporary tarp recently so lol he could do was strain his eyes for signs that Jason was alive.

A hand rested on Dick's shoulder and he looked up to see Bruce. "I couldn't have been able to do this without you." The billionaire said, his eyes soft and cowl pulled down. Dick took off his mask, taking Jason's out of his belt and placing both on the computer dash. "I guess you were right this time."

Dick smiled despite the situation. "I'm always right."

"tt, you wish Grayson."


	4. Chapter 4

When Jason woke up, he opened his eyes and saw a familiar grey ceiling. It made his entire body shudder with relief. It hadn't been a dream. He was in the cave, safe. The second thing he registered was the weight on his legs. He looked down, one eyebrow cocked but the expression quickly fell off his face. At his feet and in miscellaneous places, four males were slumped over. Dick was sleeping on him, and Jason wished he had a camera to take a picture of Damian leaning on Tim who was leaning on Bruce.

The third thing that registered was that he was actually _in_ the cave, and that was what made him move. Sitting up, Jason suddenly hissed, his hand moving to his torso and feeling bandages. He looked down and inspected the injury, white gauze wrapped tightly around his middle. At the movement, Dick stirred and lifted his head sleepily before he focused and shot up.

"Jason!" The acrobat almost attacked his brother and the younger of the two groaned through pursed lips, his hand holding his stomach. Dick instantly moved back, his eyes narrowed and inspecting the injury. "Oh shit, did I break the stitches?" He asked, worry lacing his words. Jason shook his head as the pain passed and sat up.

"Dick, I really shouldn't be here." Jason said, swinging his legs over the side and seeing another wrap of gauze and medical tape around his thigh. Dick frowned. He stood in front of Jason and blocked his escape. "Dick, I can't be here." Jason insisted, his voice coming out stronger already. The vigilante looked for his missing clothes and with a sigh, remembered his leather jacket was gone.

"Jason, you _can_ be here," Dick moved as Todd stood up and walked towards the only empty chair where he clothes were waiting for him. "You just don't think you deserve to-" Jason whirled on Dick.

"Yeah, I don't. Do you know why?" Jason asked, his voice rough. Dick felt regret for bringing up the topic as Todd's tired eyes started to get glassy. "Because I'm dangerous. Last night just proved that." Turing away, Dick put a hand on Jason's bare shoulder making him freeze.

"Jason, Scarecrow was four days ago." Dick said softly and Tim muttered something, shifting in his sleep. Carefully tugging on his cargo pants, Jason followed Dick out into the main part of the cave, glancing back to make sure the replacement was still sleeping before he left. "You've been out since then and do you really think any of us are going to let you leave in this state?" Dick gestured to Jason's lack of shirt, bandaged torso and the deep bags under his eyes. Jason shrugged, looking to the side. He felt something tug on his neck, and reached up, his fingers barely brushing the metal circle before he froze. Dick noticed his brother tense and looked to where his hand was stopped.

Jason felt his heartbeat jump and he struggled to measure out his rapidly increasing gasps, each one too fast to actually breathe. Dick raised his hands, resting one on Jason's back before the vigilante twisted away and he began to claw at his neck. "Why isn't it gone, Dick, why isn't it gone." Jason started to hyperventilate, his voice rising uncontrollably. Phantom shocks of electricity zapped through Jason's head and he growled, his fear transferring to some sort of anger.

"Jason, hey Jason." Dick reached out. Turning, Todd looked straight at Dick and his eyes had gotten too glassy to be normal. Hot fire ran though Jason's veins and his fingers twitched, itching to murder a clown. "Jason, Dr. Thompkins couldn't take it out, it's attached itself to your nearest big artery. Any tugging and your life would be in danger." Dick reasoned.

"My life's always in danger, and I've died once. I want it _off_." Jason's voice was dark.

"Twice." Dick said and Jason paused, his anger momentarily forgotten. He frowned and Dick nodded. "You've died twice now." The acrobat said, the stale fear of having his dying brother in front of him coming back. Jason looked away and Dick scoffed lightly. "I guess it's different to hear about it, verses being the one to face it. God." Dick looked down before being his eyes back up to meet Jason's. Green met blue and the older brother wiped a hand down his face. He bit his lip, holding back the panicked tears trying to escape. "Twice, _Jason_." Dick looked at the man in front of him. He was losing control of his emotions. "Jason you've left me here twice and still, you push and push," Dick got closer to his brother and pulled him in fiercely for a hug. "When will you learn that no one gets these chances that you do?"

Swallowing hard, Jason hesitantly wrapped his arms around Dick, his bare skin cold against the material of Dick's cotton sweatshirt. "I never learn Dick, that's part of my charm." With a half-hearted smirk, Jason pulled on his shirt, the action pulling on his stitches and making him grunt in pain. He tried to push away the nausea that rose as he felt the circle pull on his skin again.

"Jason, at least stay for a day." Dick asked, running a hand through his hair and looking at Jay with a pleading eyes.

"I have. I've stayed for four." Jason responded, a jolt of disappointment hitting him when he realized the majority of his weapons had been taken by Joker and Scarecrow. Dick gave the second robin a look and he sighed. "Alright, one more day." Reaching up, Jason rubbed at the circle in his flesh, the feeling making his hair rise underneath his suit. He _hated_ it.

"Jason, come on upstairs, I'll get you some clothes you can borrow." Dick turned and gestured for Jason to follow him as he climbed the stairs. After a pause, he reluctantly trailed after the older man. Looking up, the second robin gritted his teeth and started the ascent, his thigh aching every time he used it. Looking back, Dick frowned before pausing and waiting for Jason. Once the two were on the same stair, Dick picked Todd up and continued.

"Dick put me down." Jason demanded, his voice dry. The acrobat didn't pay attention to him and continued to climb. Jason twisted in Dick's grip and was almost dropped multiple times. Dick made a face at the younger brother. Once they reached the top of the stairs, he relented and set the struggling adult down. "Thank you."

Walking through the manor, Jason was hit with a wave of nostalgia. He recognized his favorite chair, the pantry where he used to sneak food and stash it, and the kitchen. Peering in, a small grin settled on his face when he saw the dent in the cupboard from when he was reaching for Alfred's cookies a little too ambitiously in the middle of the night.

"Jay, you coming?" Dick called and Jason blinked, the imaginary him disappearing, hand outstretched towards the cookie jar suddenly dust. He took one last look before turning to follow Dick. He knew he wasn't going to come back.

"Lead the way Dickface." Jason motioned, as they reached the main staircase. He was determined to walk up himself. After a minor conversation through their eyes, Dick finally relented and started to go up. Jason climbed up right after him, fighting the shooting pain in his leg. Once Dick was at the top he stopped, waiting for his stubborn younger brother who was, surprisingly, right behind him. When he reached the final stair, Jason smirked at Dick. "Told you I could do it."

With a roll of his eyes and a scoff, Dick laughed. "I never doubted you," he said, voice soaked in sarcasm. Jason started to walk again, unintentionally taking the lead. Dick watched as the man faltered beside his old room. He looked at the door, gaze frozen to the wood before Jason shook his head and kept moving. Keep moving. Once the two reached Dick's room, which Jason had remembered, they entered and Jason paused.

"It's cleaner than I expected." He said bluntly, a sidetone of humor tugging at his voice. It was clear he was jabbing at Dick. Dick smiled at the familiarity.

"Yeah, is that because it's cleaner than yours?" Dick retorted, moving into the large walk-in closet.

"Well since I haven't been in my room for the past, I don't know, _couple years_…" Jason chuckled and Dick felt his hands pause as they reached for a drawer in the closet. He closed his eyes and relished the slip up, Jason calling the empty room in the manor _his_ room.

Damian was oblivious to the happenings upstairs and when he woke up, he noticed both Grayson and Todd were gone. Turning his head, he frowned at Drake, who was drooling onto Bruce's shoulder. Pushing off the kid, Damian shook his head and decided to forget he had been sleeping on Tim. Stepping out of the room, the youngest looked around for the two older brothers but paused when he saw the white device from Jason's capture. Drake had grabbed it on a whim and hoped for the best but so far, nothing. It was broken or off or something because the screen wouldn't turn on. Damian picked it up and turning it around, the screen suddenly turning on and emitting a white light. Frowning, the boy sat down and held the device closer to his face. On the label, it read LexCorp.

Damian paused, his eyes narrowed. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to just accept the following consequences and activated the thing. Tapping the screen a couple times, Damian was met with a list of items, upon closer inspection were categories. He frowned. There was a water category, a heat category, a senses category, it went on. Scrolling down, he narrowed his eyes. What use would this do? Clinking a random group, Damian looked through the senses. There was all five, each one nothing more than a word.

"What in the…" the mini assassin felt his curiosity peak and with a hesitant finger, he clicked on one. Sight.

After nothing seemed to happen, he pressed another. Hearing.

Again, nothing.

Damian frowned. What was this for?

Jason was waiting for Dick, his eyes scanning the acrobat's room. There was nothing on the walls, an old Flying Graysons pamphlet rolled up on the nightstand and besides that, everything was spotless. He was about to comment on the clouds that flew on the blue comforter when suddenly his sight was plunged into darkness. Jason stopped, his heart skipping a beat before he laughed sarcastically.

"Ha ha Dick, very funny." Jason said, reaching up to pry whatever was obscuring his vision off. His blood ran cold when he felt nothing. He ran his fingers over his eyes and with a start, realised they were still open.

"Jason? Did you say something?" Dick called from the closet and the second oldest held his breath. His hands lowered and slowly, he felt his pulse speed up. Blinking, Jason inhaled and suddenly, rash panic was crawling up his throat. Dirt everywhere, trapped in a wooden coffin, clawing, screaming until his voice was hoarse. Jason sank to his knees, holding at his neck and suddenly he brushed the metal circle.

"Jason?" Dick came out of the closet slowly, holding sweatpants. He looked up from the clothing and immediately stopped. Jason was on his knees, facing Dick's bed, and he looked to be breathing harshly. His fists were clenched so hard, the knuckles turned white. "Jason wha-" he dropped the clothes when Jason's head turned. Panic was written across the man's face, so intense that Dick thought his heart stopped. Kneeling at his side, Dick it a hand on Jason's shoulder. The younger of the two flinched, eyes still wide and unseeing, unfocused on Dick's face.

"Dick, I can't see." Jason breathed, his chest weighted and a pressure started to settle on his. He shook his head, all he could remember was black, dirt, starting to choke on the ground around him. "Dick I can't," the hand on his shoulder directed him to where his brother was and he turned, hands clenching down on Dick's shirt. The fabric felt soft under his hands, Jason gathering as much as he could and dragging his head to the solid person.

"Jason, Jason hey," Dick wrapped his arms around his brother, bringing the panic breathing close to his chest. Already, Jason's bare back was starting to gather cold sweat. "Jason hold on, we're going to go back to the cave, get Bruce okay?" There was no response, only a sharp inhale. "Jason?"

Jason didn't hear Dick, his hearing cutting out as soon as Dick said cave. He was plunged into a soundless black and Jason didn't know what to do. He relied on his senses, and now they were gone. He felt dead. And with a start, Jason realised this was exactly what death had felt like. He jerked at the thought and the arms around his tightened. Dick was still there.

The older brother was speaking non-stop, even put in a random word every few seconds but Jason didn't react. Dick felt fear gnawing at his gut and he felt another spasm run through Jason.

"BRUCE!"

That grabbed Damian's attention. It sounded like Grayson.

Bruce shot awake, his heartbeat already racing as Dick's voice rebounded off the walls. Tim startled awake as well and the two stood up, Damian already running towards the manor. Dick sounded _scared_.

Damian rushed up the stairs, taking three at a time and the device still in hand. Behind him, he could hear both Tim and Bruce following him.

"BRUCE!" Dick shouted at the top of his lungs, Jason's fingers digging into Grayson's skin as he grabbed for something to ground him. He felt like his entire world had been tilted on its side. Where was he, was he still facing Dick's bed, was he even in the same room?

Bruce almost broke down the door when he reached Dick's room, both Damian and Tim on his heels. Instantly taking in the scene, Dick and Jason on their knees, Jason clutching Dick like a lifeline. He moved forward. Jason was mumbling under his breath, his eyes open but unfocused. Bruce got closer and realised he was listing off names. "-Roy, Dick, Damian, Tim, Bruce, Alfred-" Bruce felt his gut twist violently.

"Jay," drawing closer, Bruce saw Dick shake his head.

"He can't hear you. Before that, he told me he couldn't see." Dick's voice sounded strained, like he was trying to lay off panicking himself and Bruce gently rested a hand on Jason's shoulder. He flinched at the unexpected feeling but immediately his shoulders loosened their high tension. Jason knew what Bruce felt like, he grew up with the continuous shoulder touches, hair ruffles and occasional hug.

"Bruce." Jason said softly and he rested his head against Dick's chest. The panic previously choking him was making his voice tremor, and he closed his eyes tightly. Damian watched, his own throat starting to close up at the sight. He processed what Dick had said and then froze. Looking down at the device in his hand, Damian felt like he was going to throw up. Tossing the tech away from himself, Damian stumbled away, his eyes wide and bile coming up his throat. Tim turned and frowned at Damian.

"Damian," Tim's eyes transferred to the device on the ground and then they widened. Snatching up the tech, he flickered his gaze to Jason, the metal circle in his neck suddenly making sense. Tim threw the device to the ground. He crushed it underneath his bare heel, ignoring the shards of glass that came out and started to cut his foot. Dick looked towards the source of sound and he winced as blood started to drip down Tim's skin.

Only once Tim had crushed it completely, did the stupid thing finally turn off, and Jason's breathing softened. Slowly, he heard Dick talking softly, his chin resting on Jason's head. "Come on, Jay, you're okay."

He inhaled slowly, and after a tense second, opened his eyes. Jason was instantly hit with light and color as normal as ever, and he blinked. The light dimmed as he focused, pupils dilating accordingly and his hearing went sharp, every breath suddenly loud. Pulling his head up, Jason soaked in the expression in the room. Each one had a form of fear on their faces.

"Wow, I don't think this many people showed up to my funeral." He joked dryly. There was the shield, the defense mechanism built in to brush off fear. Bruce clenched his jaw. Realizing he was swaddled in Dick's arms, Jason relished for a moment before ripping himself out of the warmth. When the brother made a sound of protest, Jason shook his head, standing up. Bruce and Dick stood with him. "Thanks Dick, but I'm capable of taking care of myself." He said, ignoring the plain lie.

"Jason, stay. Please." Bruce said, his eyebrows furrowed. After a minute of silent, Jason nodded reluctantly, picturing his empty and dark apartment.

"Fine. And someone look at Tim's foot, it's making me nauseous." Eyeing the injury, Jason met Tim's eyes and for a split second, conveyed his gratitude before leaving the room. Drake gazed after Jason as the second oldest made his exit, eyes still clouded slightly, his mouth in a grim line. He was far from fine, but that was a problem that could only be solved with time.

**A/N: I don't know whether to continue this plot-line, or keep it at four chapters, let me know if you want me to finish it. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

Dick found Jason standing at the kitchen counter, a cup of what looked like steaming apple juice in his hand as he looked at a dent in the cupboard across the room. He had his armor on again, and a leather jacket that Alfred most likely supplied. Approaching carefully, Dick noticed he was not really looking, his gaze fixated on the point but unseeing. Coming to a stop, the older brother paused.

"Jay," he said softly, drawing the eyes to attention. The rest of his body didn't move as Dick leaned against the counter, facing Jason. "It's time you told us what happened to you." Dick said. Jason snorted and took a sip of the juice. It was hot and heated up the cold feeling inside.

"I don't really think I need to tell you anything." Jason looked at the cup, eyes following the current of the liquid as it swirled. His gut had been pulling on him for the hour he had been standing in the kitchen alone, telling him that agreeing to stay in the manor was a mistake. He had already proved himself useless when Joker _goons_ got the jump on him. Now he was also helpless and unable to handle his own problems. "I'm not weak and capable of taking care of myself Dick, as hard as it may be for you to believe." Jason's voice was sharp, already expecting a rebuttal and argument.

"Jason, I know you can take care of yourself. Hell, I _know_ you're not weak. And so does every criminal in Gotham. Think, why would Scarecrow go after you unless it was worth it?" Dick watched as the second robin narrowed his eyes, mind churning. "If something big is coming, and they want to succeed, what's the most logical thing to do?" Dick asked and Jason looked up.

"What."

"Take out the heaviest hitter." At Dick's words, Jason felt something start to warm in his stomach. "You're the biggest threat, out of all of us." Dick pushed off the counter and stood face-to-face with Jason. "You aren't a bird anymore." He said. The warm feeling abruptly turned to ice. Even though Jason had been preparing himself for this movement, it still made his blood run cold. "Jay," Jason waited for Dick to tell him to leave, to get out, to _go_. "You're not a bird anymore because now you're a Bat."

Jason's narrowed gaze fell in surprise, his clenched fists loosened and fell to his sides limply. Dick held his gaze evenly and Jason didn't know how to react. How could the outcast, the dead and reckless robin, the robin no one trusted, be a Bat?

"Jason," both boys turned to look at Bruce who was approaching the two. He nodded to Dick and the acrobat reluctantly turned to leave, sending one last look over his shoulder. Jason watched his brother leave, walking down the hall into the study. Once Dick was out of sight, Bruce turned to Jason, his eyes tired. "You want to leave." Bruce said, and it wasn't a question. He knew that Jason felt uncomfortable in the Manor. He always knew.

"I'm going to. There are things to do, people to beat the shit out of." Jason responded, meeting Bruce's eyes in a glare. If it wasn't a glare, he wouldn't be able to meet his adoptive father's gaze at all. There was so much, twisting in Jason's chest that he knew he should say, but unable to do anything, his words coming out as poison. "I can't pretend I belong here," Jason looked down, taking another sip of his juice which suddenly felt childish, and he set it on the counter, away from him. "I'm a street kid, always have been. Always will be."

Bruce's eyebrows creased but he knew whatever Jason was saying would help ease the weight on his chest. "Dick is from the circus," whatever Bruce was about to say got cut off.

"Dick had people who loved him in the circus." Jason couldn't keep the sour edge out of his voice. "I…what did I have besides a deadbeat dad and a lying mom." Eyes hard, Jason straightened up from his leaning posture and looked at Bruce. He was taken back by the actually emotion apparent on his face. The bags under his eyes were darker, the lines of time deeper, and his eyes weren't cold.

"Jason, do you really think you're alone?" Bruce asked, his voice deep and melodic, but rough and torn at the same time. And Jason realised both Bruce Wayne and Batman were standing in front of him now.

"All the time." Jason responded, and suddenly the sarcasm was gone. His crumbling fear of not being enough for Bruce was quieted and it was just him. "But there's not much I can do about it since I've tried to kill everyone who's ever given me a chance or they're already dead." Shrugging, Jason moved to leave but Bruce called him back.

"Jason, you're my son, regardless of what you do." Bruce said, turning his head to look at the frozen form of the second robin. "And I'm tough on you because I don't want you to be like me. I want you to be better."

Jason continued to walk, Alfred knowing standing at the door. "Would you like to slam the door on your way out Master Jason?" Alfred asked, a twinkle of amusement in the old butler eyes. With a half-hearted smile despite himself, Jason shook his head.

"Not this time Alfred, this time let's close it careful, but still with a little dramatic flair, something me." Jason smiled through his words and the butler big farewell to the man. After he had stepped through into the light rain, the door closed softly, but not before Alfred call.

"The mighty Todd has left the premises."

Chuckling, Jason moved to the roundabout, his civilian motorcycle waiting for him under an overhang. Dry and cold, the metal vehicle roared to life as Jason started it, engine rumbling as he shot out of the gates. Rain mixed with something unfamiliar as Jason sped through the dark streets of Gotham.

Reaching his apartment, Jason climbed the fire escape. He sat on the wet metal for a couple minutes, breathing in the wet and cold air. It filled his lungs in a way cigarette smoke never could and he smiled briefly, his teeth shining through before the grin dropped. Turning, Jason entered his apartment, wet boots making squeaking noises on the wood floors.

Shedding the clunky shoes and slipping off his new leather jacket, Jason walked to his room. Inside, he pulled off the top of his armored suit, his torso tugging slightly at the motion. Jason tossed the top somewhere on a chair and turned, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror.

Sitting on the bed, Jason felt the overwhelming pressure building behind his eyes.

_Jason, you're my son, regardless of what you do._

He bit his lip, looking up and watching his eyes through the mirror in the half-light. Streams of moonlight filtered in through the windows and were cast on the floorboards. The pressure started to surface, his vision getting blurry and the wetness started to streak down his face. Lowering his head, Jason let the tears come, dropping down onto his pants, the ground, his hands. And in that moment, he wished he hadn't left the manor.

**A/N: so I decided to end it here, and start something new I might give it a better ending someday.**


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